We designed our tile using hexagons that create undulations on the surface such that they form concave-convex surfaces. The forms seem to interchange, creating an illusion. When the liquid is poured on the tile it flows to the valleys and dips which contains it and creates an opposite effect as the tile itself does before it flows to the adjacent tiles. Looking at it, is it concave? or concave?
We created a mold in order to duplicate the tile design. We used Rhinoceros as a digital tool to define the geometry of the hexagonal form on the mold, keeping the lowest point of the tile contour synchronized with the level of the connecting valleys with the adjacent tiles. We then used RhiCAM to carefully choose the right strategies and milling tools to achieve a surface that can show the pattern of the tile, at the same time to maintain a productive milling process (less than 2 hours to complete)
Once the mould was milled, we sealed the surface with four layers of sealant in order to cover the pores of the Styrofoam mold, followed by a layer of Vaseline to prevent the concrete from adhering to the mould. The mixture of the concrete used for each tile production was a mixture of 2400ml aggregate : 480ml cement : 400ml water : 25ml accelerator. The filled mould was then patiently vibrated to let the water bubbles out (hence no holes on the face)
